


Hooked on a Feeling

by writeratlarge



Series: Hooked on a Feeling (RocketxGamora) [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 16:32:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18854824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeratlarge/pseuds/writeratlarge
Summary: Peter has his heart set on acquiring a crystal with mysterious properties. Rocket has his heart set on never returning to the planet he came from. Gamora has her heart set on keeping everyone alive despite the circumstances. And somehow, she and Rocket begin to form a bond stronger than anticipated. This story follows the adventures, mishaps, fights, and romance shared between the Guardians as they search for the strange crystal.





	Hooked on a Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is part one of a commission I am working on for user Nitrowhale on DeviantArt! Thanks so much to them for suggesting this! 
> 
> This story takes place after Guardians of the Galaxy 2 but before Infinity War.

“All the times I save his worthless ass, and this is the thanks I get? Sent out in the middle of nowhere, in search of some stupid rock!” 

“I am Groot.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Rocket sighed. “I know it’s a crystal.” 

It was just as Rocket had (not so eloquently) described; Peter, in his infinite wisdom (stupidity, really), had sent Rocket and Groot out on a reconnaissance mission for a valuable crystal. This was likely the beginning of some larger, more dangerous scheme that Peter had yet to disclose to the others. 

Rocket grumbled and dragged his feet. The frequency and nature with which Peter ordered him and Groot around were beginning to get under his fur. Not that they had ever really gotten along anyway. But things had changed for them after Yondu... 

Rocket didn’t want to think about that. 

He focused his frustration on the task at hand: that damn rock- er, crystal. According to Peter, it was located on a planet called Tatooine. Rocket knew about the place, and he described it as a “goddamn dust ball”. “A freakin’ free-for-all,” he said aloud to Groot. 

“I am Groot!” 

“I know! Plenty of opportunities to get somethin’ for ourselves, right Groot?” Rocket chuckled. 

Groot echoed the sentiment. 

The two of them had landed their small ship, which was more of a pod, on the outskirts of one of the larger settlements on Tatooine called Bestine. Rocket didn’t quite expect their ship to still be there when they (hopefully) came back, but he planned on stealing a better ship to leave the planet with anyways. He may as well reward himself for going through with the mission, right? 

They made their way carefully across the golden desert landscape as the sun bore down on their backs. Rocket could feel a sort of excitement building up in his chest, which heaved in and out quickly while they closed the distance between themselves and the Tatooine settlement. This is exactly what he was born (built, Rocket, you were built, a nagging voice replied) for: runnin’ and gunnin’. Wild fantasies of gunfire and victory ran through his mind. When he returned to the Ship with that damn crystal, everyone would be so impressed. 

This act would command their respect. 

“I am Groot.” 

“Huh?” Rocket glanced at Groot. “I’m just thinkin’, okay? I’m completely focused right now.” 

They paused next to a large rock that jutted out of the surface like a shark’s fin. This was it. The moment was coming. Now, what had Peter said? It was hard to recall everything; Peter tended to go on longer than what was necessary, which meant Rocket tended to tune him out after a few sentences. What Rocket did remember was Peter’s description of some asshole they had to find and what to ask him. Big scar across his right eye, Peter said. Gravelly voice, et cetera. 

“Y’know what?” Rocket grumbled. “The more I think about this, the more it seems like bullshit.” 

Groot grunted in response. 

Bestine resembled a child’s neglected ant farm. It lay under the harsh daylight, a dense collection of adobe-like huts between which the resident of Tatooine weaved in and out. Rocket knew the area; he had been there some years back to trade scrap metal for a gun he wanted, which didn’t do nearly as much damage as he would have liked. Bestine was just as dangerous as the other settlements on Tatooine, but in more ways than one. Things like pickpocketing and other more aggressive forms of theft were the least of their worries. 

“Con artists, murderers, ship-stealers,” Rocket described to Groot. 

Groot replied: “I am Groot?” 

“No! Well, maybe a bit like us. But there’s a difference between us and these heathens,” he went on. “We have the bigger guns.” 

Groot grinned. 

*** 

“I am not angry. I am merely disappointed.” 

Peter’s shoulders slumped. “You sound like every one of my teachers in elementary school,” he moaned. 

Gamora didn’t bother to ask him what elementary school was, nor did she care. She was busy mulling over Peter’s impulse decision to shoot the shop-keep who had apparently possessed the information they needed. Gamora was sure she had been working the old man down and was moments away from getting him to tell them where the damn key was, but Peter, being impatient and impulsive as he so frequently was, shot the man. 

“What is your plan now, then?” Gamora asked him. “Surely our time here has ended.” 

“Let’s tear the place apart first,” Peter replied. “That key’s gotta be around here somewhere! I don’t wanna go back to the ship without it.” 

Gamora reholstered the gun she’d been threatening the shop-keep with and turned to glance out the singular window. There didn’t seem to be any disturbance outside of the shop following the gunfire. Gamora had the impression that this was a rather peaceful planet and her and Peter weren’t in much danger unless they touted their guns out in the streets for information. She would stop Peter before he attempted that. 

Peter upturned a cabinet and hunks of metal previously contained within it clattered onto the floor. Gamora frowned at the mess but followed his lead. She went into the backroom of the small shop and started there. She found it highly unlikely anything of value resided in this shop, but she had dismissed Peter’s ideas before and been wrong for it. It is worth going along with for now, she said to herself, yanking open drawers and rifling through them. Peter knows what he is doing. 

“Gamora!” Peter called from the front room. 

“Yes?” 

Peter appeared in the doorway. “Look at this!” 

She stopped what she was doing and came to his outstretched hands, observing the dark shape he held. It took her a few moments to decipher what she was seeing, but it became quite clear; it was a palm-sized figurine of a raccoon, made entirely out of scrap metal. Gamora turned her nose up at it and questioned: “What is that?” 

Peter raised one eyebrow. “It’s a raccoon. Like Rocket. You think he’d like it for his room?” 

“No,” she replied. 

“Really?” 

“Though it does resemble him in many ways, I am sure he does not want a worthless piece of metal,” she explained, her words sounding harsh but her tone much lighter. “Give it to me, I will dispose of it.” 

Peter shrugged and handed her the figurine, returning to his search. Gamora turned it over in her hands a few times, studying it hard, and quietly put it into her pocket. 

*** 

“I don’t have any friggin’ books! Just tell us where the goddamn crystal-thing is!” 

Groot looked back and forth between Rocket’s outstretched arm holding his gun and the 

unimpressed man at the end of it. He said, with some reservation: “I am Groot...” 

“I’m being perfectly reasonable!” Rocket snapped back. 

The man raised one of his hands in a command to silence them. “I do not give you the information until the trade is made. Bring me the book and I will guide you to the crystal.” 

Rocket grumbled under his breath: “Quill said nothing about no book...” 

The man, quite haggard in appearance, shrugged at them. He was one of the human settlers that took residence on the wasteland-like plain of Tatooine and was a prime example of it. His skin was tan and leathery, wrinkles etched deep into his face and accentuated by his perpetual frown. A wide-brimmed hat protected his eyes (indeed, there was a scar over one of them) from the sun. There was long, stringy hair jutting out from beneath the old hat. 

The Tatooine settler had been sitting outside his small residence, something known as a moisture farm (a farm that harvested excess moisture in the horribly dry atmosphere of the planet). His farm wasn’t far from Bestine although the walk there had been more than arduous. Rocket’s mouth was terribly dry when he stopped a safe twenty feet outside of the moisture farm and called out: “HEY! WE WANNA KNOW WHERE THE CRYSTAL IS! 

Rocket had always been less than diplomatic, but that had been a new low for him. 

The man hardly looked up and replied: “Do you have the book?” 

Groot and Rocket exchanged a quick glance to convey their shared confusion. “What book?” Rocket asked. “We’re here about a crystal!” 

“We will trade. You give me the book, I give you the location of the crystal. Is that clear, rat?” 

“Rat!?” Rocket hissed. 

“I am Groot,” Groot reminded him. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Rocket inhaled sharply and said: “I don’t have any friggin’ books! Just tell us where the goddamn crystal-thing is!” 

Which leads us to where we left off: a stand-off and an air of indecision. Rocket noted the man’s casual shrug and felt his finger itching. He wanted to pull the trigger so badly. But that was always his solution, wasn’t it? Shoot first, ask questions later. He had learned at least a few times that didn’t really solve anything, but on the other hand, it was a hell of a lot easier than the other option (which was finding this book). As his brain worked furiously to determine his next move, Rocket stood unmoving. 

The man finally spoke again: “Come back with the book and then we can talk.” 

“I am Groot?” 

Rocket translated: “What book do you want?” 

“The Book of Khonsu.” 

Rocket thought about it for a moment and came very close to simply pulling the trigger and leaving. But his fingers relaxed, and he heaved an exacerbated sigh. “Okay, okay. We’ll go get your damn Book of Kazoo. And come back.” 

“Khonsu. And good,” said the Tatooine man. 

“Any ideas on where to get it?” 

The man straightened up a bit. “Halfworld.” 

Rocket lowered his gun. 

*** 

“The key has to be somewhere else,” Peter muttered, kicking irritably at the debris littering the ground of the shop. Over an hour of nonstop searching (and destroying), Gamora and Peter still hadn’t found the “key” of which he spoke. Gamora sighed and crossed her arms, leaning against the front counter. Outside, the three suns were beginning to set. The sky was strangely green. It was calming to look at. 

After a few minutes, Gamora reluctantly tore her eyes from the sky and regarded Peter. “Well, we have to move on before we waste any more time.” 

“We need that key,” he said. Peter’s eyes darted around, as if he might see it at the last second. 

“I know,” Gamora replied, attempting to sound sympathetic but not doing a very good job. “We will go back to the ship and look at the map again. Maybe this was not the correct location.” 

“It is! It has to be. I swear, Gamora, I didn’t make a mistake. It’s here.” 

“Then why have we not found it?” 

Peter threw his arms out. “I dunno! Okay! Fine. I’m an idiot. Let’s go back to the ship and try again.” 

“Good.” Gamora straightened up and went to the door. She turned and saw Peter hesitating over the dead body of the shop-keep. “Peter, let’s go.” 

Without another word of protest, Peter followed. 

*** 

Gamora took a few deep breaths to keep herself calm in the face of such unnecessary adversity: two whiney, mopey idiots at once, Peter and Rocket. Peter was bent over a table, mumbling to himself, retracing every bit of research he’d done about the location of the key and occasionally cursing loudly. This was an unsurprising situation. However, it seemed Rocket was upset about something too. He had disappeared into his room when him and Groot returned to the ship from Tatooine. They had come back empty-handed, but Gamora didn’t think that was the reason for Rocket’s distress. Peter was too busy to even question them about whether they had gotten the crystal. Groot seemed rather somber too. 

I do not understand these idiots, Gamora thought. Though she did feel a little worried for Rocket, as hard as it was to admit. He had been moody (well, moodier than he was normally) since Yondu died. It was an event that affected all of them, and strangely, Rocket most of all. Even Peter had started to move on and reminisce fondly on occasion of his childhood with Yondu. But Rocket grew quiet when the name was mentioned. It was clear he was still carrying a heavy burden pertaining to the loss. Gamora wasn’t sure how to help him. How could she say “move on” without sounding heartless? She couldn’t, so she chose to say nothing instead. 

She felt the weight of the metal raccoon figurine in her pocket. It was as if the thing were trying to get her attention. She ran her fingers over it gently, deep in thought. When Rocket had left the ship earlier that day, he seemed normal. Cursing up a storm and making vague threats to everyone around him. Yes, he was rather normal that morning. But what had occurred between then and now? Gamora felt a little annoyed. Was she the only person on that damn ship who wasn’t emotionally volatile? No, that wasn’t true. She had one of the shortest tempers of them all (next to Rocket’s, of course). 

She heard Peter yell in exasperation again and was snapped out of her deep thought. Gamora went to see what the issue was. Peter was in the same position she had left him in: hunched over, face scrunched, fists balled. “Well?” she asked, peering over his shoulder at the scribbles on the map. 

“I’m still thinking,” he grumbled. 

Gamora took a seat next to him and glanced at the map, uninterested in it at the moment. Instead, she paused, then asked: “Did you notice anything strange about Rocket?” 

Peter looked up, confused. “Huh? I dunno. Like what?” 

“He is pouting.” 

“He always does that.” 

Gamora rolled her eyes. “But does it not seem unusual this time?” 

“Gamora,” Peter said, obviously distracted. “I’m sorry. I really wanna focus on this right now. Once I figure it out, I’ll go see what’s wrong with Rocket. But come on. We both know he won’t tell us a thing anyways.” 

She resented that last statement. Rocket was stubborn, sure. But now it seemed like a challenge. So Peter thought Rocket wouldn’t tell them what was bothering him? Gamora would prove him wrong. She got up from the table and went to her room to strategize. Never go to battle without a strategy. Gamora paced restlessly back and forth, wracking her brain for a way to get Rocket to talk to her. She was an impersonal person herself, and although she and Rocket had shared a few tender moments during hard times, she didn’t think he’d be willing to speak with her like that again. Nor did she really want him to. 

Or did she? 

She ran her fingers over her pocket absentmindedly, then paused. Was she really thinking of doing it? Yes, she was. Gamora pulled the tiny raccoon figurine out of her pocket and examined it. It was a tad crude, like it was a prototype for something better. A bit like Rocket. She got up from her bed and closed her fist around the thing. Without another moment of hesitation, Gamora set off for Rocket’s room and knocked loudly on the door. “Rocket. Let me in.” 

It took him longer than anticipated to get to the door. He opened it just a crack and squinted at her. “What do you want?” 

“I would like to come inside and speak with you.” 

“Ah, no thanks.” 

Rocket began to shut the door, but Gamora stuck her foot inside to stop it. “I am not asking. Let me inside.” 

“Why should you be allowed to invade my privacy?” he snapped. “I’m busy.” 

“With what?” 

“Nonna’ your business!” 

Her eyebrows drew down. “I will say it one more time. Let me-” 

In one quick motion, Rocket kicked her leg out of the doorway and slammed his door shut. Gamora stood there in a stunned silence, then growled. “FINE! I was going to help you, idiot!” She stormed away to her room and threw the small figurine in the corner. 

*** 

Rocket curled into a ball on his bed (the same position he had been in before Gamora decided to rudely interrupt him) and closed his eyes. Fuckin’ Quill. That’s all he could think. Anything else would be too painful to cross his mind. He simply cursed Peter over and over, sinking deeper into a chasm of depression and resentment. Not even Groot could cheer him up when he got like this. 

It wasn’t the failure to get the crystal on the first try. Though Rocket didn’t handle losing very well, the crystal was far from his thoughts. It was that man. The look on his face when he said... 

Rocket buried his face into the bed and swore. 

Stop. Think about somethin’ else. 

He tried, but his mind rebelled against him and the memory slowly yet decisively clawed its way to the front of his mind, releasing its poisonous tendrils to wrap around Rocket’s brain. Halfworld. Halfworld. Halfworld. Halfworld. The book is in- 

“SHUT UP!” Rocket yelled. 

He rolled over so that he could stare at the ceiling. He wasn’t worried about his sudden outburst; the others should be used loud outbursts like that by now. Besides, they were all busy. Whatever void of despair Rocket battled in his room didn’t concern them, nor did he want it to. 

Though, sometimes he thought it would be nice if someone did relate to him. 

He wondered what Gamora could have possibly wanted. 

*** 

Peter, not unlike a child on Christmas, flew from his chair and cheered triumphantly. “I got it! I got it!” he sang, pumping one of his fists in the air. “Gamora! Get over here! Look!” 

She appeared in the doorway, an uninterested look on her face. “You have found the location of the key?” 

“What? Shit, I forgot about that. I found something better!” 

“What?” 

He tore the map from the table and brought it to her, pointing furiously at a location he had circled several times with a green crayon. Gamora squinted. Amongst Peter’s scribbles and messy handwriting, she saw the name of a place she’d never heard of: Natera. She looked at him and raised one eyebrow, signaling for him to go on. 

“I’ve been hearing about this crazy gun they have locked up here,” he explained, folding the map and putting it away. “It’s like an anti-gravity gun. You shoot it at someone and boom! They float away.” 

“And what is the point of this?” Gamora countered. “I thought we were searching for the key.” 

Peter’s excited smile dropped. “We are. But I was thinking about what you said. Y’know, about Rocket. I thought maybe this would help cheer him up a little. Like a distraction.” 

Gamora found this to be surprising. Was Peter truly willing to put aside this crystal, which he had been obsessed with finding for almost a month now, just to cheer up Rocket? She supposed she was wrong to assume Peter would ever behave in an expected way. Though the idea was stupid and possibly reckless, she felt the urge to smile. However, she suppressed it. “I think it... is a good idea.” 

“I can tell you don’t, but thanks anyways.” Peter glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Rocket’s room. “He’ll be pissed if he finds out we’re doing this for him, so keep it a secret, alright?” 

She nodded. 

“Great! HEY GUYS, CHANGE OF PLANS! WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!” 

Those on the ship, Drax, Mantis, Groot, (but not Rocket) stirred to life, excited by Peter’s words. Peter went to Rocket’s room and knocked his fist loudly against the door. “Hey! Rocket! Get out here!” 

After a long pause, Rocket yelled from inside his room. “What the hell do you want? I’m trying to sleep-” 

“I think I have something you’ll be interested in hearing!” 

“Oh yeah? Like what?” he replied sarcastically. 

“Anti-gravity gun.” 

Rocket opened his door and peered out. “Where?” 

*** 

“Natera,” Rocket scoffed, strapping into the pilot’s seat. “What a piece of crap planet. You really think they’re hiding this thing there, Quill?” 

Rocket had perked up almost immediately at the mention of this ‘anti-gravity gun’. Not only was it a distraction for himself, but it seemed to be one for Peter too. As long as Peter was focused on this, Rocket wouldn’t have to bring up what happened on Tatooine. In fact, Peter hadn’t even brought the crystal up since before they split ways. That was fine with Rocket. If Peter totally forgot about the crystal and never mentioned it again, that would be just fine. 

“What is this place?” Drax asked. 

Rocket entered the coordinates into the GPS. “It’s a scavenger planet. Not much there besides some scattered settlements and stuff. Should be a piece of cake for us.” 

“Piece of cake?” Drax furrowed his brow. “I thought we were after a gun.” 

“It’s- nevermind. Let’s rock and roll, baby!” Rocket directed the ship on its course suddenly, knocking everyone back in their seats. It was a rather short trip compared to their past ventures, and within some amount of time comparable to two Earth hours, they entered Natera’s smoky atmosphere. 

The planet could be described as Nagasaki after the bomb, but combined with the soulless desert biome of the middle east. The air was both thick yet dry, and it carried the acrid smell of rusted metal on its occasional winds. It was never meant to be inhabited by such horrid creatures, but the same could be said for Earth. Colonies of the aliens were scattered over a small portion of the (smaller than earth, bigger than the moon) planet in the form of dilapidated concrete-like compounds and cloth tents. The planet belonged to metal scrappers and other scavengers. There was no discernable form of government, but the aliens (‘scavengers’ as Rocket called them) were quite territorial. 

If anyone were to spend more than a couple minutes looking around themselves, they’d notice an alarming abundance of metal figurines across the landscape. They ranged in size; some as small as dolls, others as large as apartment buildings. Their density increased when near a colony. These figures were made from rusty, twisted and welded metal in the form of some unrecognizable entity. “When you see more of those metal things in one area, it means you’re near a colony,” Rocket explained. “They’re like big ‘go away’ signs.” 

The ship hovered over the dusty surface of the planet, checking twice over to ensure that there would be no ambush. Once it was determined safe to land, the ship did so and the six members of the crew, Peter, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Mantis and Drax, all prepared to leave. Peter had expressed his vague ideas of where the gun was located. Somewhere to the East, probably locked up, maybe underground, definitely dangerous. 

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” he said, shrugging. Armed and excited, the group set off across the seemingly deserted planet, heading East as Peter ordered. They were heading straight for one of the largest compounds on Natera, and consequentially, one of the strongest. Rocket’s knowledge of the planet was limited to what he had already repeated nearly three times (Drax kept forgetting). For the most part, the group was going in blind. 

Gamora’s eyes darted around. Her whole body was alert; her posture impeccable, her movements succinct, and her expression serious. She didn’t know what Peter had gotten them into and suspected he didn’t quite know either. Peter’s half-hearted reassurances only went so far. If all of this weren’t for Rocket’s benefit, she would have squashed the idea as soon as it came from Peter’s mouth. What use did they have for an anti-gravity gun? None. It would serve only to fuel Rocket’s gun obsession. 

But if it made him “feel better” then they were going to get that goddamn gun. 

The large, glaring orange star above them sent waves of dry heat upon their bodies. It was no mystery why the planet was devoid of plant life. Which called into question the primary source of food for the scavengers. Gamora could make a few guesses as to what it may be, but she didn’t voice them. The less distractions meant the faster they moved, which meant the faster they got off the forsaken dust ball and returned to the ship safely. 

Just as Rocket had said, the strange metal statues grew more frequent as they approached the settlement. Gamora commented that they should attempt to remain hidden, and Peter agreed (however, it seemed like he wasn’t really listening). The group slowed their pace and slunk carefully around the statues. In the distance, a smattering of tents began to appear. They appeared dilapidated, but that meant nothing. The tension grew and the group grew completely silent, preparing for a battle that was surely coming at any moment. 

Carefully, Rocket put his gun on his back and got onto all fours, crawling forwards quickly to one of the tents. He sniffed the air and cocked his head. He sniffed again and got the same result. There wasn’t a living being around. Not in this area, at least. He stood up and nudged one of the tents with his gun. It became clear to the others that the settlement was abandoned. 

“Are you certain this is the right place?” Gamora said, turning to Peter. 

Peter looked around. “Yeah, pretty sure. Maybe it’s further up. Let’s search the tents and then keep moving.” 

They split up and began to rifle through the dusty canvas tents around the settlement. Doing her best to seem nonchalant, Gamora wandered over to Rocket and searched the tent closest to his. “Rocket,” she said, gaining his attention. “What do you think?” 

He poked his head out from the tent. “’Bout what?” 

“This,” she said, as if it were obvious. “This mission.” 

Rocket paused to think, then emerged from the tent with some pieces of metal in his paw. He dropped them on the ground. “Whatever. It’s better than doing nothing on the ship.” 

He was being as impersonal and insincere as he could manage, but Gamora understood what he really meant: yes, he was having fun. She nodded and moved on to another tent, feeling less worried about the outcome of the mission. Whatever was bothering Rocket seemed to be pushed out of his mind for now. That was good. Hopefully it remained that way. 

After having thoroughly searched the tents and gathering nothing more valuable than some scrap metal, the group moved on in the same direction, leaving the tents behind. The alien sun was still high in the sky. They hoped days on this planet were long, lest they get caught in the darkness and ambushed by whatever creatures roamed Natera. 

It wasn’t long before they came across another settlement. This time, however, it was a long, flat and dilapidated concrete building. A mere eyesore on the surface of a bigger eyesore. They stopped at a safe distance and inspected it. The entrance appeared to just be a large opening in the front of the building. It was dark inside. “I bet that’s it,” Peter said confidently. 

“What is such a valuable gun doing on a planet like this?” Gamora questioned him. “That place does not look guarded.” 

“Yeah,” Rocket agreed. “This seems like a trap, if you ask me.” 

“Good thing no one was asking you,” Peter quipped. “Come on, guys! Trust me for once, will you?I grew up doing this kinda shit.” 

That was an undeniable fact. The group reserved their skepticism and without many other options besides turning back for the ship, headed towards the concrete compound. Just as Gamora observed, it didn’t seem like the place was guarded. Rocket sniffed the air and shrugged. But the group wasn’t quite keen on relaxing just yet. With their guns still at the ready, they moved inside the compound. 

What greeted them was both unexpected and expected. The compound was empty, save for three evenly-spaced holes in the center. They stood around awkwardly, glancing at each other. Peter looked dumbfounded and walked over to peer down into one of the holes. It was hard to tell how deep it was. He looked at Gamora and she crossed her arms. Though no words left her mouth, she was quite clearly saying: Time to admit you are wrong, Peter. 

He sighed loudly. “This has to be it! We’re missing something.” 

“Don’t worry Quill,” Rocket began. “We can still go back and get all that valuable scrap metal!” 

“I don’t need your sarcasm, Rocket,” Peter replied. 

Rocket grumbled something under his breath. 

“Well,” Gamora finally said, lowering her weapon. “I believe we have the wrong location. We should head back to the ship and-” She paused and whirled around just in time to dodge the bullet that came flying towards her. The group drew their weapons and began to shoot back. In the doorway stood a single inhabitant of the planet, which had now been gunned down. It was mostly humanoid with greyish skin like thick scales, and it wore a sack-like brown cloak. Its eyes were milky and its mouth a mere small red hole amongst the rest of its face. 

Rocket approached it and grimaced. “Well, good try, buddy.” 

“See guys?” Peter said. “Even if twenty of those things show up, they’re no match for- AGH!” 

Peter had been too busy boasting to notice the scaly hand that reached up from the hole and closed around his ankle. It yanked him down into the darkness. His startled scream dissipated into the hole as the others stood, jaws agape. 

Gamora took off running and dove into the hole without another moment of hesitation. Drax and Mantis followed suit. Groot turned to Rocket and asked: “I am Groot?” 

“Dammit,” Rocket groaned, shouldering his weapon. “We ought to go too.” 

*** 

Rocket fell for longer than he expected and landed in the middle of complete and utter chaos. It became quite clear why the surface of Natera had seemed completely uninhabited. Everyone and their mother was down here in these holes, each and every one of those stinkin’ lizard things was underground. Inhuman screeches and the sound of gunfire echoed all around him. Somewhere to his left, Peter swore loudly. Rocket was firing his gun before his mind even caught up to what was happening. 

The room in which they fell resembled an expansive cavern, carved crudely out of the greyish dirt of Natera. There were three other openings among the walls of the cavern. The only light inside the place came from metal lanterns hung on the walls, which cast nothing more than an eerie orange glow over the place. 

One of the scavengers tackled Rocket to the ground. He struggled desperately to free his arms. Using his foot to kick the thing in the throat, Rocket bought himself enough wriggle room to free his gun and shoot it in the face. The limp body of the scavenger crumpled to the ground and Rocket crawled out from under it. Immediately, more of them descended upon him and he fired relentlessly at them. 

Why were these things so violent? Rocket knew that Natera was a no-good wasteland, but he didn’t recall its inhabitants being so damn annoying. The possibility that Peter had been right about the anti-gravity gun was growing in Rocket’s mind. What else could these things possibly be trying to protect? It had to be the reason for this attack against them, the intruders. That anti-gravity gun was somewhere down here and Rocket would be damned if he wasn’t the one who found it first. 

Rocket looked around. Peter was fine despite his scare, hovering above the room on his rocket boots and laughing as he shot into the crowd. Gamora, careful and calculated as she was, stabbed and slashed without ever letting one of them get near her. Drax pounded the scavengers into the dirt and Mantis had a pile of unconscious ones at her feet. Suddenly, Rocket burst into a proud grin. They really made quite the team, didn’t they? Not even something as chaotic as this could knock them down. 

“QUILL!” Rocket yelled over the screaming of the scavengers. “I’M GONNA GO LOOK FOR THE GUN!” 

“ALL YOU, ROCKET!” Peter replied, dodging as one of the scavengers dove into the air for his feet. 

Rocket spotted Groot to his left, impaling the scavengers on his long branches. One of them climbed up Groot’s back and Rocket shot at it, hitting it directly in the back of the head. Groot nodded in appreciation. Rocket stopped close to him and fired at the scavengers closing around them. “Hey, Groot!” he yelled. “Let’s go find that damn gun!” 

“I am Groot!” the other replied in agreement. They took off for one of the openings, selected at random, clearing a path of scavengers in their way. The sounds occupying the cavern grew quieter as they made their way through it. The scavengers had been pouring out of these opening with seemingly no end. Rocket and Groot attacked as they ran. They were stopped a few times by the number of scavengers opposing them and were nearly overwhelmed. But Rocket refused to retreat. He pushed through and Groot loyally followed. Rocket wouldn’t give up so easily, not like this. 

*** 

Gamora saw Rocket and Groot disappear and cursed in annoyance. Why must they go do it by themselves? Clearly the most effective way of handling this situation was to stay together and clear out the scavengers before going to look for the gun. But no one else had the same critical-thinking skills Gamora possessed, nor would they listen to her much anyways. She grunted and slashed at the scavengers furiously. Why did there seem to be no end to this? 

Gamora wanted to tell them all to retreat and head back to the ship. This was a waste of ammo and energy. But she refrained. Just a little while longer. I will give Rocket enough time to find the gun, she thought. She knew she would feel bad if they returned from this mission empty-handed. Besides, in his twisted mind, Gamora knew Rocket thought this was fun. And if she were going to be honest with herself, she found some fun in it too. It had been awhile since they focused on a random mission that had an exact goal. It felt good to return to their old ways after what happened with Ego. Even Peter seemed like he was enjoying this. Gamora found herself smiling. 

After what felt like years, it seemed the scavengers were waning. The four remaining in the cavern were losing their energy and vigor. Peter dropped to the ground and yelled to his team: “Hey! Let’s start looking for that gun! Drax and Mantis, you go through that way! Gamora, come with me!” 

They split ways and took off for their respective openings. The scavengers half-heartedly followed, but it seemed as though they were beginning to retreat. Peter and Gamora shot a few that chased after them and were soon left alone. Peter breathed heavily and grinned. “Holy shit, I can’t believe how crazy this is! Just like old times, right?” 

Gamora smiled and nodded. “Indeed, I feel like we have returned to normal.” 

“And Rocket too,” he observed, twirling his guns around his fingers. “He’s definitely having fun.” 

“Yes,” Gamora agreed. She couldn’t express the relief she felt that Rocket was back to his old self. Even though they still got into arguments a lot, she couldn’t deny she cared for him. She hoped he cared for her too. Otherwise she would feel like a fool. Gamora realized she hadn’t stopped thinking about Rocket since she and Peter returned to the ship hours and hours before. 

Peter snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Hey, you okay?” 

Gamora glared at his hand and pushed it away. “I told you I do not like when you do that.” 

“Well, you seem spacey today.” Peter laughed a little. “Damn, does this tunnel ever end?” 

They continued walking down the long and dim corridor for some time before it opened to another cavern, smaller than the one before. The floor was covered with pieces of scrap metal and various other objects. There were a few scavengers sorting through the objects that attacked Peter and Gamora, but they were easily handled. 

“Jeez, these things are like hoarders,” Peter commented. “What the hell are they doing with all this useless junk?” 

Gamora was suddenly reminded of the small raccoon figurine that she had tossed angrily at the ground in her room. She frowned. “I do not know. Do you really think the gun is here?” 

“Somewhere. Well, let’s get looking.” 

Gamora joined Peter in sifting through the piles of scrap. 

*** 

Rocket kicked one of the piles over. “Come on! This is all junk! These lizard things ain’t know nothing about valuable objects. You see anything good, Groot?” 

“I am Groot...” 

“Yeah, this is a waste of time,” Rocket agreed. “Let’s go back and try another way. Quill better not be wrong about the gun being ‘round here.” 

They headed back towards the main cavern. Rocket strained the listen and no longer heard the gunshots and screaming that he had become accustomed to since Quill was pulled down the hole. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Either the others killed all the scavengers, or the scavengers killed the others. Not that he had no faith in his team... Rocket shook his head and picked up his pace, trying to not show the obvious worry he felt. 

They emerged back into the cavern and were greeted with many dead bodies, none of which belonged to their friends. Rocket sighed in relief and pointed at the opening opposite to theirs. “Let’s try that one.” 

“I am Groot.” 

They began to make their way through the maze of bodies and were halfway there when Gamora and Peter walked out of the opening. Rocket stopped and called to them: “Hey! You guys find anything?” 

“Nope!” Peter called. The four of them met in the middle. “You?” 

“Nah,” Rocket replied. “You’re really sure that gun is here?” 

“Something’s here. I mean, I can’t be the only one. What the hell were all these things trying to protect?” 

Rocket nodded. “Yeah. I hope it’s the gun.” 

“I hope it is something that makes this worth our time,” Gamora chimed in. “Let us keep looking. It is not time to give up yet.” 

“HEY GUYS!” a booming voice came from the other opening. Drax and Mantis wandered out. Drax was holding something high above his head triumphantly. “LOOK WHAT I FOUND!” 

“No friggin’ way,” Rocket muttered. Drax was holding a long, silvery gun with a large barrel. The others rushed to him and inspected the gun. 

“Is this it?” Gamora asked. 

Peter shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” 

“Lemme see it,” Rocket demanded, reaching for the thing. 

Drax pulled it away. “What if I want to test it?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m testing it.” Rocket jumped and swiped, but Drax pulled it out of his reach. They went on like this for a few minutes, Drax laughing heartily and Rocket cursing at him. Finally, Rocket dove and caught the gun. He landed on his feet and laughed victoriously. “Yes! Finally! Okay everyone, stand back!” 

Rocket turned the gun over in his hands and inspected it. There was a switch on one side. Without reservation, he flipped it. The gun whirred to life and emitted a strange blue glow. “Aw, hell yeah!” Rocket whooped. He hoisted the gun up into position and aimed it at one of the dead scavengers. His finger pressed the trigger and with a loud SCHOOP!, a beam of blue light shot from the barrel of the gun. The body twitched violently at the blast. The team waited with bated breath, then suddenly, the dead body lifted into the air and floated upwards. 

They cheered and watched the thing float to the ceiling and stay there like a forgotten balloon. Rocket grinned wide. “This is the best gun ever!” he celebrated. 

“Ooh! Do it again!” Drax begged. 

“My pleasure.” Rocket aimed the gun at another body and pressed the trigger. There was a loud click, a sputtering whir, then the gun lost its glow. Rocket furrowed his brow. “The hell?” He smacked the side of the gun and tried again, but nothing happened. 

“What is the matter with it?” Mantis asked. 

Gamora shook her head in disappointment. “It is dead.” 

“No!” Rocket lamented, pressing the trigger over and over. “Oh, you gotta be kiddin’ me! This is unbelievable! All that effort for nothin’!” 

“I am Groot.” 

“No, I’m not gonna calm down! We just wasted so much time!” 

Peter groaned loudly. “Dammit! Hey, well at least I was right! You all doubted me!” 

“It’s true,” Drax agreed. “He never promised a working gun.” 

Rocket glared at them. 

*** 

They returned to the ship, disappointed and tired. Rocket immediately got to work on fixing the gun, vowing not to stop until he found a solution. In his own words, it was the coolest fucking gun in the universe, and he wasn’t going to roll over and give up on it. Peter and Gamora were at the front of the ship. “Hey, did I do good?” he asked her. 

Gamora nodded. “Yes. Even though the gun is broken, he seems excited to fix it. I would call this mission a hesitant success.” 

Peter pumped his fist. “Awesome! Well, let’s get off this planet then. Wanna be my co-pilot?” 

“Apologies, but I am very tired,” Gamora replied. “I think I will lay down for a while.” 

Peter’s expression softened and he nodded. “Alright, see you later then.” 

Gamora walked away from him and headed towards her room. It was the truth that she was tired from the arduous battle on Natera, but she wanted to be alone more than she wanted to rest. She felt strangely melancholy. As she passed Rocket’s room, she heard him mumbling to himself and clanking metal around. The curiosity still burned inside her. What was bothering him? She didn’t want to dig up unwanted feelings from him, but she also firmly believed that expressing your troubles eased the pain. It worked for her. 

Gamora passed by and went into her room. The raccoon figurine was exactly where she left it. Carefully, she scooped the thing into her hands and turned it over. The left arm was bent from the impact with the floor. She squeezed it back into place as best she could. It didn’t look perfect, but it was enough. She slid the thing into her pocket and went to Rocket’s room again. She knocked three times in a quick fashion. 

The noises from inside stopped and Rocket came to the door. “Yeah?” 

“May I enter?” she asked. 

He thought about it, then shrugged. “Sure, come in. You need somethin’?” 

Gamora stepped inside his room and shut the door behind herself. Rocket had made a mess with his tools, but she elected not to comment on that. “Yes. I want to know what has been bothering you.” 

Rocket grunted. “Nothin’.” 

“You are not being truthful. When you came back from Tatooine, you seemed upset.” Gamora paused and regarded Rocket’s annoyed expression. “I am not trying to mock you. I care.” 

He sighed and sat down on his bed, scratching distractedly behind one of his ears. “Was it that obvious?” 

“Yes, it was very obvious.” 

He chuckled bitterly. “Gamora, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you really ain’t gotta-” 

“I want to know what has been bothering you, Rocket,” she cut him off. Cautiously, she sat on the edge of his bed. “We are friends, are we not?” 

He fell silent and considered her words. Gamora was digging up the thoughts that Rocket had been trying quite hard to suppress since they left for Natera. He wasn’t sure he was ready to speak about what happened. Was he being silly? Maybe. Eventually, he said: “Look, it’s kinda a long story.” 

“I have time.” 

“Jeez, you’re stubborn, aren’t you?” Rocket sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. But I don’t want you to pity me, okay? Listening is enough.” 

She nodded and motioned for him to continue. 

“The guy that Quill sent us to find,” he began gruffly. “The one that was supposed to know where that crystal is. Quill neglected to tell Groot and me that the guy wanted something in return for that information. He wants something called the Book of Khonsu.” 

“Okay,” Gamora said, prompting him to explain further. 

“Well...” Rocket paused. The words burned on his tongue. Was he really prepared to share this with Gamora? Only Groot knew about Halfworld. Gamora waited patiently at the end of the bed. Well, if Rocket was going to tell anyone else about this, it would have to be Gamora. Not that he didn’t trust the others... they were just terrible at keeping secrets. Especially Drax. Finally, Rocket went on. “He said the book’s on Halfworld. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it. But that’s where I was... built.” 

Gamora sat in silence for a few seconds, absorbing his words. “And this bothers you because you have bad memories of that place.” 

“Yes," Rocket said. “Going back there would just remind me how I’m... well, I’m not normal. I’m a thing.” 

She turned suddenly, looking at Rocket with an intense light behind her eyes. “Why must you be normal? Look around, Rocket. None of us fit those standards. We are a group of diverse misfits. You fit in perfectly here.” 

Rocket was a bit taken aback by her words. For someone as unemotional as Gamora, the words were kind and reassuring (even though she had practically yelled them). He struggled to find the words to reply, so Gamora continued: “Rocket, our past does not define us. You know mine. You know the awful things I have done. And Peter and Drax. I do not think any of us look that fondly on where we came from. But what is important is that we changed and we are better now.” 

He bit his tongue. Strangely, he wanted to cry. Rocket rubbed his temples to relieve the building pressure there and let out a shaky breath. “Thanks, Gamora. I appreciate that.” 

“I am not sure if we will continue to pursue this crystal,” she continued. “But if we do, you should not have to go to Halfworld if you do not want to. I will make sure of it.” 

He looked at up her and smiled softly. “You’re way nicer than you come across, you know that?” 

“I am not. But thank you.” 

“No, you really are. I think that’s the kindest stuff anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you, Gamora.” 

She smiled and reached into her pocket, retrieving the figurine. She kept it hidden in her hand. “When Peter and I were searching for the key, we found something that reminded me of you. Here.” She pressed the thing into Rocket’s outstretched palms. 

He turned it over in his paws, squinting curiously at it. He sniffed it. “A raccoon?” 

“Yes,” she replied. “Does it not resemble you?” 

“No, it does.” Rocket grimaced a little at the metal figurine, then grinned. This was a gift. Although he hated being reminded that he was an animal, clearly Gamora had meant this to be a good gesture, and that was all that truly mattered. He glanced up at her and felt a pang of regret. He had been so rude when she tried to knock on his door before they went to Natera. All she wanted was to be nice. He wanted to apologize but decided not to. If she were angry, she wouldn’t be here, sitting on his bed. Rocket brought the figure to his chest. “Wow, thank you. I’ll uh... I’ll put it on my desk.” 

He got up from the bed and went to his desk. Rocket swiped various tools into a pile to make room for the thing and set it down carefully. It sat at an angle. He smiled at it. “There. Now I’ll have some company when I do my work.” 

“How is the work?” Gamora asked, standing up and meeting him at the desk. 

Rocket shrugged. “Ah, I’m still trying to figure out what fuels this damn thing.” 

“Can I help?” 

He looked up at her and saw her expression was completely sincere. “Oh, sure. Yeah. Here, take a seat.” 

Gamora sat down as Rocket climbed on top of the desk. He had taken the gun almost entirely apart. She picked up one of the pieces and inspected it. “This is a strange gun. Is it safe to be tinkering with it like this?” 

“Oh, sure,” Rocket said, clearly not sure at all. “I am not gonna be able to sleep until I make some progress on this thing. Think of how valuable it would be in a fight! Boom! They just float away. And if Quill’s ever bothering ya...” 

Gamora burst into laughter. Rocket joined her. After a few moments, they settled down. Gamora sighed and her smile faded. “What do you make of this crystal business?” 

“Huh?” Rocket was caught off guard. “Oh. Well, I don’t doubt Quill knows what he’s talking about. Just not sure how easy the journey’s gonna be.” 

She nodded. “He was wrong about the location of the key,” she explained. “We searched everywhere in that shop and found nothing. He killed the shop-keeper for no reason.” 

Rocket sat back. He wasn’t prepared to deal with Peter and Gamora’s relationship problems. Nor did he want to. But she seemed rather bothered by what she just recounted, and Rocket would be remiss if he didn’t offer her the same kindness she had offered him. He thought for a moment, then replied: “He can be pretty... impulsive. He probably jumped on the first option of where the key might be and just went with it. He doesn’t like to be wrong." 

“You are right,” she agreed. “I wish he would not be so... like you said. Impulsive.” 

Rocket shrugged. “What can you do? It’s the way he’s always been.” 

Gamora sighed. Rocket was right. Peter had always been unpredictable and impulsive. It wasn’t until now that she was beginning to feel bothered by it. When he shot the shop-keeper, he didn’t seem like himself anymore. Gamora tried to push the memory from her head. “How can I help you fix this gun?” she said, changing the topic. 

“Well, you can start by-” 

BOOM! 

The ship lurched to the side suddenly, scattering the pieces of the gun all over Rocket’s room. From the front of the ship Peter screamed: “GUYS! SOMEONE’S SHOOTING AT US!” 

“Goddammit!” Rocket cursed at the mess. “I had that organized!” 

“We need to go,” Gamora replied, moving towards the door. “We can fix the gun after we make sure the ship does not explode.” 

Rocket grumbled and followed after her. The six of them convened at the front of the ship, where Peter struggled to dodge the blasts, which were coming from an unknown source. The ship swayed violently back and forth with his movements, forcing the others to grab onto the walls to stay on their feet. “Peter!” Gamora shouted. “What is happening?” 

“I don’t know!” Peter yelled back. “Something wants us dead!” 

“Is it the scavengers?” Mantis asked worriedly. “Come back for their gun?” 

“Which doesn't even friggin' work!” Rocket added angrily. “Get outta the way, Quill! Let me handle this!” 

Gamora, relieved to see Rocket assume the role of leader rather than Peter, took a seat and strapped in. The others did the same. With the ship under Rocket’s control, the violent swaying eased. “Start shooting back!” Rocket barked at the others. “We’re approaching an asteroid belt! Until then, keep whoever the hell that is off our tail!” 

“But you are the only one with a tail,” Drax replied, confused. 

Rocket groaned. “It’s a metaphor, dummy!” 

Gamora strained to see what was attacking them. It was another ship, slightly smaller than their own. Peter was already manning the guns, blasting at the ship. It narrowly escaped most of his shots and didn’t seem to take too much damage from the ones that did hit. Who in the galaxy was pursuing them with such fervor? It had to have something to do with this anti-gravity gun. 

The ship was approaching the asteroid belt Rocket spoke of, which he said they’d surely lose this pursuer in. Rocket scrunched his snout in concentration as he started to steer out of the way of scattered asteroids. A non-stop barrage of shots rained down upon them from the mysterious ship. Rocket dodged most of them, but the few that hit did quite a bit of damage. He growled in frustration. 

“You are doing well, Rocket!” Gamora said encouragingly. 

For the first time, Gamora’s words sparked calmness in Rocket. He was used to her yelling or sternly lecturing the group on their carelessness, which typically stressed him out. Now he was glad to have her close to him as he steered the ship. 

Rocket thought about the raccoon figurine, which had surely been knocked off his desk with the pieces of the gun at the first blast. Gamora truly cared for him, didn’t she? Though Rocket hardly received gifts, that one was by far the best of them all. In fact, it was better than the anti-gravity gun (mostly because it was broken, but that was beside the point). 

Rocket glanced back at Gamora and saw a reassuring smile on her face. 

She was beautiful.


End file.
